


Circuitous Pathways

by wreckingduty



Category: Kingdom Hearts, Tron - All Media Types
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-27
Updated: 2020-05-27
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:53:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 15,803
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24403129
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wreckingduty/pseuds/wreckingduty
Summary: A new Keyblade wielder makes friends with Tron.
Comments: 4
Kudos: 4





	1. Chapter 1

Light often wins over Darkness, but sometimes it needs a little help.

The greatest weapon Light has is that of the Keyblade, so when Keyblades suddenly started appearing on different worlds, it caused quite a stir.

Was the Darkness going in power? Was there a new threat out there that required an army of wielders to take it down?

The uncertainty made everyone nervous.

There was seemingly no rhyme or reason to those chosen by the Keyblades. Some were already experienced in combat or magic, while others were not.

One of the ones with little-to-no battle experience was Ark.

Ark lived in Radiant Garden, after the world had been freed from the Darkness, people had come back to live there.

She did odd jobs around the town, mainly helping in the shops. Her favorite was when she got to work with Scrooge, as she often overheard him telling tales of his adventures to customers, and sometimes, she got him to personally tell her his stories.

Ark was friendly and on good terms with many of the people who lived in town, along with travelers who stopped by to shop. Since she rotated shops, she had quickly gotten to meet nearly everyone.

Except for her good nature, there wasn't anything remarkable about Ark, so it was a complete surprise to everyone when she was chosen by the Keyblade.

She had had a strange dream where she had been in a world made of stained glass pictures. Some of them she recognized, while others, she didn't.

There, she had been offered several choices and tests. She had carefully passed each and every one of them, though, sometimes just barely.

Ark had been presented with a row of Keyblades and she instinctively went for the one that was obsidian with glowing white lines etched into it. She was fascinated with the beautiful weapon, turning it over to admire it.

The last test was the hardest, and she had almost failed.

Faced with a small number of Shadow Heartless, she had to defeat them. But, as she had never been in combat before, it went poorly.

The Shadow Heartless were fast and vicious, while Ark was slow and clumsy with her new weapon. Fortunately, it didn't take much to defeat the Shadows, so once she found an uneven rhythm, she was able to defeat them all.

A loud rumble of thunder awoke her from her dream and Ark found herself lying in bed, holding a Keyblade, and covered in scratches inflicted by the Shadows.

Panicking, she ran through the pouring rain to Merlin's house. She didn't know the wizard very well, but if anyone could explain what had just happened, it would be him.

Ark pounded on his door frantically, paying no attention to the fact that it was in the middle of the night.

The thunder had already woken him up, but Merlin still wasn't thrilled about having a noisy visitor so late. He grumbled softly as he headed to the door, but his attitude changed when he saw Ark standing in the rain, Keyblade in hand.

Merlin ushered her in and called several towels over to gently float to Ark and drape themselves around her. He also started up a pot of tea while he tended to her wounds. He was bursting with questions, but she needed a little bit of care first.

Once the scratches were taken care of, the tea was just about ready. He gave her a steaming cup first, before pouring his own.

Sitting nearby, he waited quietly as she took several sips to warm herself up.

During all of this, Ark hadn't loosened her grip on the Keyblade, so she was sitting awkwardly, tea in one hand, Keyblade in the other.

Finally, she started to speak, the words coming out jumbled and confused. She knew the importance of the Keyblade, what it meant, and was having troubles processing that she was holding one here and now.

Merlin listened carefully, and aside from asking a few questions, said nothing.

After a while, it was clear that she was exhausted. He offered up a spare room (one that he might've just conjured up for the occasion), and she gladly accepted.

Once he had tucked her and her Keyblade in (she still wouldn't let go of it), he had made another pot of tea and sat down to discuss matters with Archimedes, who had a lot of opinions about what had just happened.

It was clear that she was way out of her depth, but the Keyblade had chosen her, so it was something they were all going to have to adjust to.

While she slept, Merlin and Archimedes researched in the library, until they were contacted by Yen Sid, who had reports of similar incidences happening in multiple different worlds.

A whole new crop of Keyblade wielders had suddenly sprouted up overnight.

This was cause for great concern, as, so far, there had been no record of this ever happening before.

The two wizards talked until daylight, trying to make sense of everything and come up with a plan.

Finally, it was decided that Yen Sid, was going to head out and start working with at least one wielder, while Merlin was to work with Ark, and any other Keyblade wielders that might've shown up in Radiant Garden. After that, they'd just teach them one by one, there were only two of them to go around, and who knows how many new Keyblade wielders were out there.

That decided, Merlin made a hearty breakfast, they all were going to need all the energy they could get.

Ark woke up a short time later, partially from the delicious smells coming from the kitchen, and brought her Keyblade to breakfast.

After she had eaten some, it was time for her first lesson.

It was one that could be done at the table, and it was probably best that she was sitting down for it.

Merlin taught her how to feel for the presence of the Keyblade, even though it was physically in her hand, she could also feel it with her heart.

After she learned how its energy felt, he then taught her how to put it away and summon it again. Once she could do that successfully several times, breakfast continued.

Ark helped clean up after breakfast, though Merlin did most of the work with a flick of his wand.

The next order of business was to figure out Ark's capabilities. Both Merlin and Archimedes interviewed her, asking questions to try and figure out what her abilities were.

It soon because obvious that she was woefully unprepared.

She had no experience in fighting, the test for her Keyblade had been the first time she had battled. It didn't seem that she had any magical abilities, either, but, those might take more time to manifest.

Still, the Keyblade had chosen her for a reason, and the fact that she did so meant that she had a strong heart.

But, a having strong heart didn't really mean much if you couldn't protect it. They had to find a way to get her up to speed.

Merlin didn't mind working with Ark, but his talents were more magical than physical, he could teach her some fighting techniques, but he was limited in what he could do.

Some of the others around Radiant Garden were more experienced fighters, but Merlin wasn't sure how good of teachers they'd be, when Ark didn't even know the basics. Plus, if there was some immediate threat, it might be better to have the ones with more experience on the front lines while Ark got caught up.

So far, there didn't seem to be any more Keyblade wielders that had popped up overnight in Radiant Garden, if there had been another, they could train together.

There was an awkward silence as everyone was starting to realize the full depth of the situation.

Merlin and Archimedes resumed their research, giving Ark a book on the history of Keyblades to start on.

Things were quiet for a short while, until Archimedes hit on an idea. He beckoned Merlin over and the two whispered back and forth.

Ark peered at them over the large book, trying to listen, but not be obvious about it, but she couldn't make out anything but a word or two here and there.

After quite some discussion, they finally broke apart. Ark was nervous about whatever they had been talking about, but Merlin's warm smile eased most of her fears.

"Archimedes has come up with a brilliant plan to help you out. It requires the help of some others, so I'm going to go and talk to them about it. The gist is that there's a world contained in the computers here in Radiant Garden. They play some pretty competitive games there that I think might come in handy for teaching you combat skills. Not only that, but it seems that time runs faster in the computer, allowing you more time to learn and practice."

Merlin started heading to the door, "I don't think this will take too long. They don't get many visitors, but the one in charge of the whole system seems like a friendly sort, so I think he'll probably agree to it."

After he left, Archimedes fluffed himself up proudly, pleased that he had come up with such a great idea. He then gestured a wing at Ark, telling her that they both had research that they could be doing while they waited for Merlin.

She did her best to read the history book, but she found it hard to focus on the pages. Things were changing so fast. Less than a day ago, she had been living a completely normal life, now she was apparently some kind of chosen hero and being sent to another world to train.

A world inside the computers? What was that like? Ark knew her way around computers, but wasn't an expert. She had been able to show the shopkeepers a few minor tricks that'd made their lives easier, but there still was a lot she didn't know.

Merlin, on the other hand, didn't care much for computers. However, he knew that this particular system was important, and so were the Programs inside of it.

He and some of the Programs had gotten off to a rocky start, but eventually they had gotten past their differences.

Merlin would've preferred to talk to them in person, but he stuck to his principles and had no plans to ever be digitized. Fortunately, the Programs were able to hear anyone in the room talking to them.

He grumbled under his breath about having to talk to a machine, he felt silly speaking to a screen.

Merlin knocked his knuckles against the console itself, not sure if that'd get the Programs' attention, but it also made him feel a little better about the situation.

He cleared his throat and addressed one Program in particular. The one that ran the whole system was named Tron, so he went right to the top.

There was a small delay as Tron refocused some of his computing power to talk to Merlin.

Merlin kept things short and to the point, getting right down to business. He explained the situation with Ark and asked if Tron and the other Programs could let her join in their games in order for her to learn combat skills and instincts.

Tron's response was immediate and enthusiastic, ever since the MCP and the Heartless were gone, things had been quiet. They all oversaw the functions of the town and defense system, but everything had been running smoothly. Having someone new join in the games would be a welcome break to the monotony. He'd run it by the other Programs, but he was sure they felt the same way.

Pleased that it had gotten settled so quickly and nicely, Merlin bid Tron farewell and headed back to his house.

By this time, it was getting to be close to lunchtime, all of them were getting pretty hungry.

Archimedes had made good progress on his research, however, Ark hadn't made it but a page or two through her book. She had been focusing on what the future had in store for her, rather than reading. She was nervous about already going to another world.

While Radiant Garden had been consumed by darkness, she had lived in Traverse Town like some of the others from her world had. It had been nice, but it wasn't home, and she had been glad when everyone had been able to go back.

Traverse Town had been similar, so there hadn't been too long of an adjustment period, but a world inside of a computer sounded completely different to anything she had seen before.

She had wanted to ask Archimedes questions about it, but he seemed stubborn and stern, so she had decided to try and read. Hopefully Merlin would be back soon like he said, and then all of her questions would be answered.

As soon as Merlin got back and opened the door, both Archimedes and Ark looked up eagerly at him.

He told them that everything had gone smoothly and that he'd give them all of the details over lunch.

Ark helped where she could, but with a wave of his hand, Merlin had most of the food cooking itself.

While they ate, Merlin told Ark about the world in the computer and that the inhabitants had agreed to help teach her how to fight. He wasn't sure how long she'd be in there, but she needed to pack some comforts and some of the books from his library. He told her how time ran differently in the computer, it might seem like she was in there for months, while only days or weeks passed by on the outside. It was the most efficient way to get her up to speed on battling.

Merlin added that they'd be in contact with her, that they were able to talk to anyone who was inside of the computer, so if there was anything she needed, they'd be able to help her out.

After lunch and the cleanup, Ark went back to her house to pack some pillows and blankets, and a few other small things she thought she might want while away from home.

While she packed, Merlin and Archimedes picked out the books that they thought would be the most useful for her, setting aside another stack that they would send her if she had time to read the first group.

They met at the castle, Ark wearing a backpack, Merlin carrying a shoulder bag full of books.

He led the way through the castle, she hadn't been in there before, so she was taking in all the sights as she went.

It took a while to get to the heart of the castle that contained the computer that ran everything. Ark hadn't been sure what to expect, but she found all of the electronics fascinating.

Merlin handed her the bag to put on, once she did so, he gave her a comforting hug. He told her that she'd be in good hands and that he believed in her.

After giving a quick warning to Tron that Ark was coming in, he activated the equipment to digitize Ark and uploaded her to the computer.


	2. Chapter 2

The process was disorientating, one minute she was one place, the next, she was somewhere else entirely.

She wasn't sure where to look first. Everything around her was so new and strange.

While everything in the world had a glow to it, something very close to her was glowing brightly.

Looking down, she discovered that it was herself.

Her clothes had changed.

She was wearing something entirely different than when she had come in.

Instead of the bright colors she had been wearing, her new outfit was monotone, with gray being the prominent color.

However, that gray was outclassed by the bright blue lines that covered her entire outfit. She was glowing.

This world had remade her in its image and it felt as natural as breathing.

Laughing in delight, Ark spun around, trying to get a look at all of the circuit-like lines that covered her from head to toe.

As she admired her new appearance, she realized that her Keyblade had some similarities with this world. While it wasn't as colorful, it glowed like everything here did. Unlike her clothes, it hadn't changed, it had always looked this way. Hopefully that was a sign that she was on the right path.

Her marveling was interrupted by her noticing that a crowd had gathered around the entry point.

They were all waiting and watching her.

Ark immediately grew nervous as she looked at the group of people surrounding her. They were all glowing as she was, they each had different patterns of bright blue lines covering them.

Unsure of what else to do, she greeted them, "Uh, hi?" This sent the crowd into a gleeful uproar as every single one of them shouted out greetings of their own.

Every Program in the system was there, word had traveled fast that a User was coming to stay for a while, and most of them had never met one in person. They had all gathered around the Portal to see her come in, some of them were so excited, they had gotten there as soon as they had heard the news.

Many of them waved hi, most of them were chattering and asking questions. It was a large and friendly group, and she did her best to talk to everyone and answer everything. But, there were so many people talking at once, it was hard to hear and understand any one particular person.

Finally, when the crowd started settling down, Tron stepped forward to introduce himself.

He told her that he'd take her to her room where she could set her stuff down, and then give her a tour of the world, telling her it was called Space Paranoids.

The crowd got a little restless at this, and he added, that if it was okay with her, the other Programs could come on the tour. Tron explained that Users didn't visit often, so it was an exciting occasion for everyone.

Ark agreed to letting the others tag along on the tour, it was somewhat comforting to have such a large group of people all in support of her.

As they headed to the living area, the ones who had managed to get closest to her asked questions about the stuff she had brought with her. She did her best to explain everything, but the questions were sometimes strange and about things she hadn't thought about.

Her room was small, but comfortable. The main features were a bed and a desk, she plopped her backpack on the bed, and the bag of books on the desk. She could unpack later, right now, she was excited to see this new world.

Ark took a moment to try and steady herself, but it was hard to be nervous with such a warm welcome.

Once she was ready, she went on out to join Tron and the crowd for the tour.

She had a great time on the tour, Tron would explain the overall purpose of a room, and the rest of the others would chime in about things they knew about the room. The ones who worked in certain rooms took special pride in their functions and made sure that Ark knew exactly who did what and where.

A lot of the technical terminology was new to Ark, but she did her best to try to learn and remember everything.

After the tour, some of the Programs were already asking if she'd play with them in the games. Tron left the choice up to her, if she wanted to take a day to get her bearings, she could, or she could jump right into training.

It wasn't a tough choice, there'd be plenty of time to sight see and rest later, and some of the Programs were quite eager to play games with her, so Ark chose to head to the games.

Once at the Game Grid, Tron looked over all the data, while the Programs that remained with the group were all vying to be the first one to play against a User.

It was decided that they'd take things nice and slow, for Ark's opponent, Tron picked a Program who hadn't played in the games as much, and who didn't have a high win record.

Before he went over the rules of the game, Tron showed her where her own disc was and how to remove it from her back.

Ark looked her disc over, tracing the lines on it with a finger. It was fascinating, it looked so simple, but somehow felt crucial.

Tron went on to explain that the disc was the single most important thing to any Program in the system. It was called an Identity Disc, as it contained your entire identity on it.

It was strong and resilient, literally an extension of yourself.

To lose your disc was to lose who you were.

After making sure she understood how important her disc was, Tron went over the rules of the Disc Arena before starting the game, making sure Ark understood how to play.

Frowning slightly, Ark expressed concern over the fact, that if the discs were so important, why were they using them in the Arena, wasn't it dangerous to do so?

Tron reassured her that the games were no longer deadly. In the past, when hostile Programs had taken over the system, the games were played for keeps. But, now that things were back to normal, everything was completely safe.

She was a little hesitant, so Tron decided that the best way to show her would to be to put on an exhibition match.

He picked one of the other Programs that had a solid win record and they put a show.

The match was fast and frantic, and, knowing there was a crowd and a User watching, both showed off their skills to their fullest abilities.

Even though she didn't quite understand how the game worked just yet, she got caught up in the excitement, shouting and cheering with the rest of the crowd.

Tron won decisively and went to talk to his opponent. They walked over together to show Ark that both of them were fine.

She was reassured by this, though, still a little nervous about trying it out herself.

Tron laughed a little and told her that they were going to start her out much slower. After all, she was here to learn.

They got her ready and sent her into the game.

The Program that had been chosen to play against Ark had been getting antsy, even though they had enjoyed the exhibition match. They were eager to play against a User, and were proud to be the first one chosen to do so.

They didn't hold back, and they were disappointed when Ark quickly lost.

A handful of the Programs, including the one who had beaten her, came up to give her different tips and advice of how to win at Disc Arena, some of them contradicting each other greatly.

Ark spent a while playing with the Programs, she didn't win on her first day, but she came close a couple of times.

As a User, she was getting tired, even if most of the Programs were ready to keep going.

Tron called it quits for the day, much to the Programs' disappointment. Not everyone had had a chance to play with the User.

As he showed back to her room, he explained that, if he understood right, things worked differently here than they did out in the Users' world. There wasn't day or night here, it was always the same. Programs worked when their functions were needed, and rested or played when their functions were complete.

Thanks to Tron's talks with the Users that took care of the system, he knew that Users didn't work that way, that they needed to rest a certain amount each day.

So, Ark was in charge of her own schedule, she'd rest when she needed to, and they'd work with her when she was ready.

Once they got to her door, Tron left to go work on his own functions, since he ran the system, there was a lot that needed to be done.

Ark slept well, and when she got up, there were a few Programs hanging around, eager to face her in the Game Grid.

She played with the Programs, some of the others caught word that she was in the Arena, so some of them joined in the battle rotation, while others stood back and watched.

Towards the end, Tron came in to watch, and after she was done for the day, offered her some advice on things she could improve on.

Even though she wasn't using the Keyblade here, she was learning reflexes, timing, reading your opponent, and other skills that would be valuable in fighting the Heartless.

She didn't spend a long time in the Arena each day, a few hours here and there. It was intense, and she couldn't keep it up for long.

When she wasn't in the Arena, she was spending time with the Programs. Some of them showed her what their jobs were and what they did, while others talked about their lives and asked Ark about hers. She found it all fascinating, and so did they.

Ark always read a little before she went to bed. She didn't want to disappoint Merlin, and he had packed her a handful of books on Keyblades to read.

It was easier to read them now that she wasn't nervous about the future.

Every so often, Merlin checked in on her. To him, it was every day, but to her, days would pass in between.

Ark would tell him about everything that was going on and her new friends. He seemed pleased that she was making progress, and reading the books he had sent.

After about a week playing Disc Arena, where she had managed to win three times, Tron switched up what game she was going to play, wanting to make sure that she didn't get too used to one thing.

This week was the Lightcycle Games. At first, Ark did even worse at driving a lightcycle than she did at throwing a disc, but she stubbornly stuck with it, and eventually was able to get the hang of it. Towards the end of the week, she was doing much better, but still hadn't gotten a win.

Months inside Space Paranoids passed as Ark got better and better at the games. She won a good portion of the time in the Disc Arena, and could hold her own on a lightcycle. She got to be friends with many of the Programs she played against, and, since Tron was the one overseeing everything and always there, they were especially close.

Finally, as her win rate climbed higher, Tron joined in the games against her. She never could beat him, but there were several times where she got close.

There wasn't much more she could learn from the games, so her training switched to focus more on fighting with the Keyblade.

Some of the Programs had other weapons besides their discs, they fought with spears, swords, and other things, so Ark sparred with them, along with others who felt confident enough to fight hand-to-hand with their discs.

She never gave up the games, though, always managing to go a couple rounds in the Disc Arena before quitting for the day.

Her time in Space Paranoids was a happy one, both she and the Programs enjoyed it greatly. So much so, that nobody volunteered for her to leave even after it was clear that she was proficient with both her Keyblade and her disc.

Finally, the tough decision to leave had to be made. During the past few check-ins, Merlin had been remarking that Ark had made a lot of progress and that he was proud of her, but the hints had gone ignored by both Ark and Tron.

Eventually, Merlin became more overt, with him finally flat-out stating that it sounded like she was ready and needed to head back out of the computer.

It couldn't be ignored any longer, and with a heavy heart, Ark said tearful goodbyes to all the Programs in Space Paranoids.

The last goodbye was saved for Tron, they hugged tightly, not wanting to let the other go, knowing that as soon as they did so, it would be for good.

It had to end, though, and after they stepped apart, Ark took a deep breath and looked around one last time.

She then went to walk through the Portal, but made sure to turn around to get one final look before she stepped through. She made eye contact with Tron, who gave her a small nod. Ark returned the nod, then stepped through the Portal and back to her own world.

It was just as disorienting going as it was coming.


	3. Chapter 3

Merlin was waiting for Ark back at Radiant Garden and gave her a warm greeting and hug when she arrived.

They had kept in touch, so there wasn't a lot to catch up on.

While she had been in the computer, Merlin and Yen Sid had discovered that there were twelve new Keyblade wielders in total. They had split them between them, each wizard had taken six of them under their wing.

Quite a few of them were more experienced in combat, so they didn't need much training, just instructions on the basics of what being a Keyblade wielder entailed.

Merlin had just finished up the training of the last of his Keyblade wielders, once Ark was adjusted back to living outside of the computer, both of them would face their final test.

It was strange being back in Radiant Garden, while it was beautiful, it was different from the world inside the computer.

She loved both worlds and all their different quirks and charms. But, right now, though, she was missing all of her friends from Space Paranoids, especially Tron.

Everything in Space Paranoids glowed, while in Radiant Garden, only the sun and lights did. Radiant Garden was somehow too bright and too dim at the same time.

Before, she had been able to easily navigate the pathways without thinking too much about it, but old habits had fallen away, and it took her longer than normal to get back home.

Since she had left the bag of books with Merlin, Ark just had one bag to unpack. She did so carefully and deliberately, making sure to put everything back where it belonged. She hoped that doing it this way would get her readjusted a little better.

Ark had a rough night, she kept waking up in the darkness, panicking that circuit-lights had gone out, before realizing that she was back in a world where circuits were only inside electronics.

Her circuits had been part of her for so long, there was almost a dull ache from their absence, something she felt in her heart. Occasionally, she would absent-mindedly trace where they should've been, running her fingers along invisible pathways only she knew.

Over time, the feeling faded, but never completely went away.

Her disc was something else she physically missed. Occasionally, she'd reach back to grab it, only to find nothing there.

She had plenty of friends and acquaintances in Radiant Garden, but that didn't keep her from missing Tron and the other Programs. She and Tron had been especially close, but she knew all the other Programs well. Their names, their functions, their battle styles in the games. Sometimes, something would remind her of one of them, but they weren't around for her to tell them.

Ark was tempted to go back to the computer room, to talk with Tron and friends. She didn't even have to go into Space Paranoids, she could chat with them from Radiant Garden. But, that would put her even more behind. She had a job to do, and people waiting and counting on her. She had said her goodbyes in Space Paranoids, and was going to have to look to the future for now.

Merlin worked with Ark to get her back used to Radiant Garden, but he could tell she was struggling, and gave her the space she needed to adjust.

It was several days before she was feeling more like her old self, when she did so, the change was obvious.

Seeing that Ark was feeling more confident, Merlin approached her about sparring with another Keyblade wielder as her final test. He wanted to be sure that both of them could hold their own and this seemed like the best way to gauge their progress.

Ark agreed to spar with the other Keyblade wielder and Merlin went to make the arrangements.

She was nervous about facing another Keyblade wielder, she now was no stranger to battling others in a friendly competition, but it was much different to put it to practice and show what she had learned. Would her experiences in Space Paranoids be enough? 

Once the area was set up, Merlin brought both Ark and her opponent together for the first time.

The other Keyblade wielder was named Sierra, she was muscular and well-built, back in her world, she enjoyed competitive sports.

At first, Sierra seemed imposing, but when she kindly introduced herself, she put Ark at ease.

After they had some time to talk, Merlin told them both the rules of the spar.

They were going to be tested on both skill and strength. It was a friendly competition, so they needed to control their power so that they didn't seriously hurt their opponent on purpose.

Merlin stepped back and had them both summon their Keyblades.

Sierra's Keyblade was rocky and rough, looking like a bear had been carved out of a mountain. The natural look was quite a contrast to Ark's more electronic-based Keyblade.

After a moment for them to size each other up, Merlin announced the beginning of the competition.

Sierra started off using strong and slow attacks, putting power behind her every move.

This worked in Ark's favor, her training in Space Paranoids had sharpened her reflexes and speed. She was able to dodge Sierra's opening moves and score several hits on her, giving her just a tap to let her know that she'd been hit.

However, the longer the battle went on, the less Ark could keep up her frantic pace. As she slowed down, Sierra was the one now who was tapping Ark with her Keyblade.

Realizing that she wasn't keeping up, she switched to a more defensive style, using her Keyblade to block Sierra's attacks.

Eventually, her weariness got the better of her, and one of Sierra's strong slams against her Keyblade caused her knees to give out and she collapsed to the ground.

Immediately stopping in mid-attack, Sierra helped Ark to her feet. Apologizing, she put her arm around Ark, holding her up.

Merlin was pleased with both of their performances and declared that they had both passed.

They'd be able to rest for today, but tomorrow, they'd head out to their first world.

There were a lot of preparations that needed to be made, so Merlin left the celebration early to start working on things.

The next morning, they all met on the outskirts of town, where two brand new Gummi Ships awaited the Keyblade wielders.

Merlin explained that they'd be going to their first world together, but that they may split up after that. Every Keyblade wielder needed a partner from the other worlds to help them battle the Heartless, but, until they found their partner, they'd team up with other wielders.

He also gave them each a Gummi Phone. He wasn't terribly fond of them, but it was the best way that everyone could stay in touch. They had other features as well, especially a camera function that he thought might come in handy.

Merlin told both Ark and Sierra how proud he was of their progress and how far they'd come.

As they got in their Gummi Ships, Ark turned around and asked a question of him, "If...if something happens to me...could you please let everyone know?"

Merlin knew exactly who she meant and nodded, "Of course."

Ark smiled, "Thank you." With that weight lifted off her shoulders, it was a little easier to say goodbye to her home world.

The Gummi Ships' autopilots had been set for their destination, so Ark and Sierra were able to chat with their Gummi Phones on the way there.

Ark and Sierra had one adventure together, they went to a land of bugs. There, Ark took the form of a lightning bug, while Sierra was a Japanese rhinoceros beetle.

They helped the ants that lived there fight off an army that consisted of both grasshoppers and Heartless, culminating in a fight with a giant Heartless that looked like a grasshopper.

After that, they were called to separate worlds. Sierra went to a mountainous wilderness where she met her partners, which were two bears, while Ark went to New Orleans and the bayou.

There, Ark teamed up with another Keyblade wielder named Brody and together, they helped two humans-turned-frogs stop a man who was in league with the Heartless and turn them back in to humans. There, Brody found his partner in the form of a trumpet-playing alligator.

Brody was immediately called to another world, while Ark didn't have an assignment.

She and Brody had realized that some of the largest enemy Heartless in the different worlds had spot patterns on them that possibly matched star patterns, so Ark wanted to go back to Radiant Garden and talk to Merlin about it.

She hadn't found her partner yet, but, that was another reason she wanted to head back to Radiant Garden. It was a long shot, since Tron was crucial to keeping their defense system running, but she wanted to ask him first, before finding someone else to team up with.

So, Ark headed back to her home world with plans in mind.

Merlin greeted her warmly and they caught up, she told him all about her adventures, then showed him the pictures of the star patterns on the Heartless.

Using magic, Merlin pulled the pictures off her phone and processed them more traditionally.

He hung up the physical copies he had made, and with Archimedes, they all looked at them together.

Ark pointed out that the star patterns on the one from the bug land seemed to match the stars her and Brody had seen in the bayou.

Merlin made a note of that and before he went to send a message out to the other Keyblade wielders to ask if they had any pictures of star patterns on Heartless, he told Ark one important thing.

He knew that she'd want to go visit Tron and the others, but there was something she needed to know first.

While she was gone, somebody had sent an upgrade to the computer system. It had been installed for a while, and things seemed to be quite different than before. A new system administrator had been installed, so Tron wasn't in charge any more.

Ark didn't say it, but that was great news. If Tron wasn't the one running the computer system, maybe he'd be able to be her partner after all.

She eagerly headed to the computer room, excited to see her dear friend and all the changes that had been made to her second home.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ((This chapter was directly inspired by a scene in Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance. It's the first chapter I started working on and is the heart of the story.))

Merlin had told Ark that things were different, but she didn't realize how much until she actually got inside the computer.

Things were darker in The Grid, including her outfit, it was now black with white glowing lights, instead of the gray and blue that it was before.

She then realized that it matched her Keyblade exactly. It was as if her Keyblade had been made for this world all along.

Ark took a moment to admire her new outfit. While it had changed, quite a few of her old circuit-lines were still there, even if many of them were gone.

The changes gave the outfit a sleek simplicity, not as chaotic and full as it had been, which, at a glance, seemed to fall right along with the changes that the world had gone through.

No one greeted her this time, either. But, she had been too excited to give a heads-up that she was on the way, so she hadn't expected a welcoming committee.

Something still felt wrong, though.

Space Paranoids had seemed lively and colorful, but here, it was darker, and even the glowing lights that remained didn't seem to bring enough light.

But, even with all of the changes, it still felt like home. She had forgotten how much she missed her circuits and how much she missed being in this world. She especially missed all of her friends and was determined to find the Programs in this place.

There was so much to tell Tron and the others, and from the look of it, they'd have quite a few stories of their own.

She was especially eager to find Tron. She was looking forward to asking him to be her partner after they got caught up.

Eventually, she came across a single Program. At first, she hung back, unsure of whom it was. Their outfit was black like her new one, with only a few circuit-lines, their head completely covered by a solid black helmet.

But, as soon as he turned and she got a better look at him, she immediately knew who it was.

Strangely, his circuits were now red, but she assumed that it was because of the upgrade. The color didn't matter though, only one Program had those tell-tale T-shaped circuits.

Ark rushed to her dear friend, shouting his name as she scrambled towards him, "Tron!"

She stood breathless before him, waiting for the hug that she had been longing for.

He said nothing, not even a greeting, as he went around her.

Ark watched in stunned silence as her dear friend walked away, occupied with some mission of his own.

That wasn't like Tron, not at all. Even when he was busy with vital functions, he always had time for a smile or a friendly word while he worked.

Something was wrong, and she was determined to find out what.

She didn't have many clues, but she tried to put what she had together.

Ark knew that the system had gotten an upgrade. Maybe Tron's memories had been affected somehow? But, even so, his personality should've remained. The Program she had encountered had no personality at all.

Perhaps the red circuits were the problem.

She'd never seen a Program with red circuits, all of them had been bright blue up until now.

Now, though, her own circuits were white, and Tron's were red. The white had seemed natural enough, but, with Tron's strange behavior, she was growing increasingly suspicious of the red ones.

It was clear that she wasn't going to get any answers from Tron, so she'd have to find them somewhere else.

She didn't want him to get too far away, though, so she headed in the same direction that he did, her mind racing.

Everything had changed so much. She didn't recognize any the familiar places or landmarks, she was completely lost. Before, she had known Space Paranoids like the back of her hand, it was comfortable and familiar. But, now, The Grid was like another world entirely.

Not only that, she was worried about the other Programs as well. Were they also mindless like Tron now was? Was all of their circuits red, too?

Her simple visit was lot more complicated than she had thought it was going to be, but she wasn't going to leave until she had set things right.

Tron was supposed to be brave and lively, looking out for Programs and taking care of the system. He was none of that now and the wrongness of it haunted Ark.

She had to get her dear friend back, she had to fix whatever had happened to him. No matter what, she'd fight with everything she had to save him. And, she knew that if their positions were reversed, he'd do the same for her. They were a team.

Her mind racing, Ark kept going through The Grid, trying to come up with some kind of answer that made sense.

It wasn't long before the answers came to her.

She discovered a fight with Programs on both sides. One side had blue circuits, the other, red.

Ark summoned her Keyblade and rushed in from behind, attacking the red-circuited Programs. She was careful to only knock them out by hitting them in the head with her Keyblade.

She didn't know how long they'd be out, but it was a risk she had to take. She didn't know if they were new Programs or ones who had been corrupted like Tron, but, she couldn't take the risk of killing her friends.

There wasn't much time to think on that, though, the blue-circuited Programs she had saved were overjoyed to see her.

She knew them all, and had spent some time in the Arena with most of them. They had a hasty reunion, followed by a retreat, no one wanted to be around when the red-circuited Guards woke up.

As they fled, the Programs explained that when the computer had been upgraded, a new system administrator named Clu had been installed.

He had his own ideas of how the system should run. Nobody had been happy about his changes, and Tron had pushed back, trying to do what was best for the Programs.

Shortly after that, Tron had disappeared.

Some time later, he had shown back up, with red circuits and a new name. It was after that that things had gone downhill fast. Without Tron, the system had fallen quickly to Clu.

There weren't many free Programs left on The Grid, Clu used the Guards to capture them for corruption.

But, now that Ark was here, they believed that they had a new hero who could save the system.

It was an intimidating request, but she immediately accepted. She'd help her friends restore their home and Tron to how they should be.

Ark had a lot of questions, and they answered them as best as they could. Once there was nothing more to ask, she said her goodbyes and set out once more, this time with a destination in mind.

She was going straight to the top and going after Clu. Once he fell, she should be able to restore Tron and everyone else. It was a simple plan, but that was all she needed.

It didn't take long for word to spread among the remaining Programs that Ark, the User with the Keyblade who was their friend, was back and going to free The Grid.

This emboldened a few Programs, giving them newfound hope and courage. Unfortunately, this also had the side effect of alerting Clu to the newcomer to the system and that she had something very valuable and very useful to him.

The Keyblade could open any sort of lock or door, and he wanted to throw open the doors between The Grid and the world of the Users. He already had The Grid under his control, it'd be a simple matter to conquer the Users with the power he already had gathered.

Though, how could he get the Keyblade out of her control?

As he gathered information on her, the answer was simple.

She and Tron had been close, that much was clear. What would she do to save her friend?

Clu smirked as his plan started coming together, all he needed was one final piece and the Keyblade would be his.

He ordered Rinzler to his side and they headed out into The Grid together. If all went well, Clu planned on coming back alone with the Keyblade in hand.

Ark traveled on and on through The Grid, occasionally talking to some of her old friends in hiding, and avoiding any Programs she saw with red circuits.

Some of her friends had explained that anyone with red circuits was under the control of Clu, including Tron. But, they didn't know how he was able to transform and command them.

The more answers she got, the more questions she had.

As she walked through a particularly desolate area, a Program with yellow circuits appeared on the horizon.

There was nowhere to run or hide and with nothing else around, it was clear that she had been spotted.

However, her path was still clear.

As she got closer, she saw that the Program wasn't alone. Right next to him was Tron.

She didn't know what the yellow circuits meant, but, with Tron there, that Program had to be Clu.

Gathering her courage, she tried to think of what she knew about him before they met face-to-face. He was the system administrator and he could corrupt and control Programs somehow.

She wasn't a Program, but, could he corrupt and control her like he had Tron? Ark didn't really want to think about that possibility.

There was only one way to save Tron, and that was to confront the problem at the source. The thing was, she didn't know enough about the problem to find a solution, and, right now, the problem had found her and was approaching fast.

She'd found that her Keyblade was good at solving a number of problems. She easily summoned it to her hand, the familiar weight and touch snapping into this reality. Things didn't seem quite as hopeless with her Keyblade in hand, it had a way of calming her and bringing things into focus. She'd save this world like she had the others.

It wasn't long until she and Clu were standing several feet in front of each other.

Ark tried to take a confident stance, but her uncertainty ended up undermining her. It didn't matter much, though, as Clu's own confidence outclassed her by miles.

He stood there, his arms behind his back, stiff and imposing and professional. His head was tilted ever so slightly as he addressed her.

"You must be Ark, the User who lived among the Programs. Every single one of them has memories of you. Especially Tron." He inclined his head towards the masked Program next to him to emphasize his point.

"You'll find things have changed here since you've been gone. I was brought in to bring order to this system and I have done so with Rinzler by my side." He emphasized the name, the wrong name.

"My work is nearly done here, or will be soon. I have another project in mind, one that only you can help me with. Your Keyblade is capable of some amazing things, isn't it?" He gestured to the weapon she had in hand, a movement that made her grip it even tighter.

"There's a...door, that I need open, your Keyblade can do that." He tilts his head ever so slightly, "You have something I want, and I have something you want, right?" He casually gestured towards Rinzler.

"I'll give you Rinzler in exchange for your Keyblade. That way, everybody gets what they want. It's a simple deal."

Clu changes his stance, putting both hands behind his back as he patiently waited for her response.

Ark gasps at the offer, it's one of great magnitude. She was chosen to wield the Keyblade, to fight the darkness and put things right. It wasn't something you gave away lightly.

But, Tron was her friend, and something was wrong with him. He needed her help, and that was something that needed put right. Not only that, but she felt that he was her partner, the one who'd travel with her in order to help her fight the Heartless.

Before she could even consider his offer, Ark had one question, "How do I know you'll keep up your end of the deal?"

Clu smirked in response, "I control The Grid and everyone who lives in it. If I wanted to, I could take your Keyblade by force. But, that would cause a lot of trouble and likely the loss of a lot of Programs. I'd much rather skip all of that and make a deal that would save us both the time and trouble. The fact that I haven't already made a move for it should be trust enough."

That wasn't exactly a comforting answer, but it was all that Ark got.

What did he need the Keyblade for? She had a feeling that he wouldn't be forthcoming with the answer, he had already been vague about it. But, it likely wasn't good.

Could he even use the Keyblade? You had to be chosen for it, right? Plus, he wouldn't know how to use it, at least, not at first. And, he hadn't bargained for Keyblade lessons, just the Keyblade itself. She knew a few of the Keyblade's tricks, in face, there was one that might come in handy for this exact situation...

Ark looked down at her Keyblade, while in the grand scheme of things, she was a rather new Keyblade wielder, but she and it had been through a lot together. How many Heartless had she slain? How many people had she helped? What did her future as a Keyblade wielder look like?

She glanced to both Clu and Rinzler, Clu waiting for her answer, and Rinzler standing there cold and motionless, nothing at all like the Tron she remembered.

That was enough to make her waver.

Ark's decision was made before she had realized it herself. She had to save her friend, there wasn't any other choice she could make.

However, she had a plan, and, if it worked, then maybe everything would be okay after all.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, tightening her grip on her Keyblade for the last time.

Ark exhaled and swung her Keyblade up so that she could hold it in both hands, feeling its weight and presence and taking a moment to remember everything that they had been through together.

The moments she took were quiet and reverent, she's solemn as she takes it all in.

Finally, she looks to Clu with tears starting to well up in her eyes. She knows what she has to say, but the words won't come out.

Clu meets her gaze, "Have you made your decision?"

Ark can only close her eyes and give the slightest of nods.

"Very well." Clu reached over and took Rinzler's Identity Disc off his back. He tapped a few things and made a few changes before attaching it back where it belonged.

Rinzler himself then walked over and turned around to stand next to Ark.

Clu gestured to them both, "Rinzler is yours now, he will only answer to you."

He then holds his hand out to Ark, "Now, for your end of the deal."

Ark gasped softly, she didn't think it would go this quickly, she hadn't even been sure who would make the first move. At this very moment, she had both Tron and her Keyblade, she could make a run for it.

But, a deal was a deal.

And, if Clu was right and he controlled the whole Grid, she wouldn't get far without her Keyblade, even with her disc and Tron fighting for her.

Trembling, she adjusted her grasp on her Keyblade so that she was holding the blade in both of her hands and offering the hilt out. She clung to it for one final moment before lowering it to rest right above Clu's outstretched hand.

There's no such hesitation on Clu's part.

He grabbed the Keyblade and carefully took it out of Ark's hands, she gasped and flinched as he does so.

When his hand touched the Keyblade, the white lights on it slowly changed and darkened to glow yellow, matching the lights on Clu's suit. That wasn't a good sign, but there was nothing that Ark could do about it now.

Clu held the Keyblade up, admiring it, "Magnificent. It's even more impressive than I had realized." With a swift motion, he holds it down at his side, seemingly already comfortable with the weapon.

"Now that our transaction is done, I have things I need to attend to. You're both free to go." He quickly turned and strode off, no longer concerned with either of them.

Ark stood there in shock, never keeping her eyes off the Keyblade, until both it and its wielder are long out of sight.

Finally, she managed to look over at Rinzler, her dear friend she had just sacrificed so much for. 

Was it worth it? 

Before she had given up the Keyblade, her answer had easily been yes. But, now that the Keyblade was gone, she felt its loss as a deep ache. There was a part of her missing that was now in the hands of someone else. Someone who would likely do a lot of bad with it.

Tron was safe, yes. Or, Rinzler was. The Tron that she knew didn't seem to be anywhere under that cold black mask. Would she be able to restore his memories?

But, after her shameful action of giving up the Keyblade, did she even want Tron to remember? She knew he'd be disappointed in her, as she was disappointed in herself.

There was still her plan, the one scrap of hope. But, she was no longer confident in it. The act of giving up the Keyblade had been much more serious than she had imagined.

Ark closed her eyes and held out her hand. She'd always been able to summon the Keyblade before, and counting on that fact had been one of the reasons she had made her terrible decision.

She tried to feel for the Keyblade, in that space wherever it went when she wasn't holding it. Reaching out deeper and deeper, through her heart and the light and the darkness.

Ark came up empty. The Keyblade was no longer hers, it did not answer to her any longer. She had given it up, betrayed everything she and it stood for, and it reflected that fact.

She sunk to her knees in shock, silent for a moment before sobbing her heart out as the full magnitude of what she had done washed over her.

Ark had given the darkness everything it had wanted. She had handed it this world on a silver platter, and who knew what else. Clu had wanted to open some kind of door, was it the door between worlds? He so easily commanded this world, would he conquer the next and the next and the next?

She sobbed for a long time, while Rinzler, ever silent, stood next to her.

Finally, she wiped her eyes, trying to clear her vision so that she could think.

She had a few things in her pockets, some Potions and supplies she had picked up before travelling. Like everyone else in this world, she had an Identity Disc, which could be used to fight. And, she had Rinzler. He wasn't Tron, not yet, but he was a fierce fighter.

Ark didn't have a lot, but it was better than nothing.

She looked up at Rinzler, "Me and you against The Grid, huh? What do you think of our chances?"

Like always, Rinzler didn't respond, he just stared straight ahead.

Ark laughed coldly, more of a bark than a genuine laugh, "That's what I thought." She picked herself up and dusted off her knees, a reflexive gesture more than anything.

"It doesn't matter what the odds are, I know what we have to do. I'm glad I'm not going to have to do this alone, but I have to wonder, if you were still Tron, would you be proud of me?"

No answer came.

"I didn't think so." She shook her head, "It doesn't matter what Tron thinks now, or you, I guess. I'll deal with that if we get out of this alive."

Ark looked Rinzler up and down, "The Grid's changed a lot since I've last been here. It'll be a lot easier if you still know your way around. I don't know what he did to you to transfer you over to me, but if you still remember his plans..."

She took a deep breath and looked straight at Rinzler, "Please, can you take me to Clu? I've got to set this right." She could have commanded him, but she'd rather ask her friend for help then force him to do it, even if the outcome was the same.

There was a moment where nothing happened, Ark was afraid that Rinzler's memory was wiped again or that he wouldn't actually listen to her. She held her breath until he looked around for a moment, then headed off in a specific direction.

She exhaled and followed Rinzler further into The Grid. 

Ark knew that even if they were able to stop whatever plan Clu had, the Keyblade likely wouldn't come back to her. But, that didn't matter. All that mattered was keeping Clu from using it. Once she did that, she could deal with no longer having a Keyblade.

She looked again to Rinzler, who was walking with a single-minded determination. After they stopped Clu, she still had to find a way to bring back Tron. Like the Keyblade, he probably wouldn't want to have anything to do with her, either, but, she still owed it to him to try and fix him. He had been her friend, one important enough to sacrifice the Keyblade for.

Ark had no idea if they would be successful, but she had to try. That's all she could do.

As they traveled, Ark focused on the landscape around her. It was better than thinking about what she had done and the silent Tron before her.

As they walked, she realized that she was starting to recognize some of the sights, they were headed back the way she had come in. She still had no idea of what anything was, though.

She had so many questions, and wished she could ask Tron all of them. But, he wasn't able to answer her right now. And, even if he could, he might not appreciate the distraction from the task at hand.

She looked to Rinzler, still leading the way. He was unsettling, just walking ahead, never looking around, only focused on his destination.

As they kept going, she realized that they must be heading back to the Portal. It made sense, if Clu was going to unlock the barrier between this world and the world of the Users, then that's where he'd have to go.

At Rinzler's pace, they'd get there soon.

She tried to focus on her plan, instead of her regrets, but it was hard. Especially, since there wasn't much of a plan to speak of.

They had to win, it was as simple as that. It was her and Rinzler versus Clu, who had the whole Grid at his command. She hadn't seen him fight, but if Rinzler was anything like Tron, then he was the best on The Grid. But, was it enough? Clu had the Keyblade and had seemed already at ease with it. There wasn't much that could go up against a Keyblade and lose.

Ark was thankful for her time in the Game Grid. It was thanks to that that she was confident in her abilities with her Identity Disc. Even then, she had never thought that she'd have to rely on it alone. 

She just hoped that she was good enough to stop Clu.

Ark's thoughts were broken by Rinzler stopping and making a strange rumbling sound.

They were here.

Before them stretched the bridge that led to the Portal out of the Grid.

They weren't alone.

Clu was striding confidently across the bridge, resting the Keyblade on one shoulder as he did so. He was in no hurry, his plans were finally being completed and he wanted to savor every moment.

She hesitated before heading forward, with Rinzler staring blankly at her while she paused. The doubts were starting to creep up, would they really be able to do this?

That shouldn't be a question.

They had to do this. She had made a terrible mistake, and she had to set things right.

Ark took a steadying breath and reached around to grab her disc.

It was different than before, a ring, rather than a frisbee. It felt strange in her hands, but, at the same time, like it belonged there. Like the Keyblade, it was a part of her, and in a way, it was her.

Back before, Tron and the others had impressed on her how important it was to keep your disc safe. It was called an Identity Disc for a reason, as it contained all of your code. As a User from the outside, her code was different from the Programs', hers was a double helix, while theirs was made of 1s and 0s.

But now, everyone was in danger, no matter what their code looked like.

She looked over to Rinzler, "I'm sorry that I've dragged you into this, and I'm sorry for whatever happens next. I know that you have to do whatever I tell you to do no matter what, but I'd rather ask you than command."

Ark took a breath before continuing, "Will you fight with me? To save everyone and help me fix my mistake?"

Rinzler's answer was to take his discs off his back and activate them.

Two discs? That was new. But, it was somehow comforting. They had three discs between them, which almost felt like improving their odds. Tron must've gotten even better if he could wield two discs so comfortably.

She gives him a nod and activated her own disc, it snapped to life with a hum and a glow. She hadn't done it before, but it came naturally, it seemed that there was some instinct involved when it came to your own disc.

"Let's go."

This time, it was Ark who led the way, dashing across the bridge and closing the gap fast.

Rinzler easily kept the pace, running right along next to her, but always letting her stay in the lead. He was used to having someone in command.

Clu heard their frantic footsteps and turned around with a smirk.

Ark and Rinzler came to a stop a few feet in front of them.

"Are you here to see the final step of my plans? The ones that I was able to complete thanks to you?"

The jab hurt, but, it was deserved.

Ark shakes her head, "No. We're here to stop you."

Clu laughs, "We? Are you really that naive that you'd think I'd let you use my own weapon against me? I left in a backdoor just in case." He snapped his fingers, "Rinzler. Take care of this for me."

To Ark's horror, Rinzler walked over to stand in front of Clu, then turned around to face her, his discs at the ready.

Giving her another smirk that he made sure that she saw, Clu then turned around to continue making his way to the Portal.

"I don't want to fight you, Tron. We need to stop Clu, we can do it together. You've got to remember, everyone's counting on you!"

Rinzler replied with his disconcerting rumble and rushed in for the attack.

Ark and Tron had sparred together as part of the Games before, she knew most of his moves, just as he knew hers.

But, this was nothing like that.

Rinzler was fast and ruthless and unpredictable. It was hard to keep track of both discs, he used them independently and to great efficiency.

All Ark could do was block and dodge what she could, which wasn't much.

The battle was over barely after it began, she had sustained several nasty hits which had knocked her off balance, and then Rinzler had knocked her over.

Ark laid there, Rinzler's disc at her throat. It would be over any second, it should be over right now.

He looked back towards Clu, who had decided to turn around to watch the end of the show.

"Finish her," he commanded.

Rinzler lifted his disc to deliver the final blow.

Exhausted and injured Ark looked up at the Program, "Tron, please, I don't care if you kill me, but you've got to stop Clu. He's going to do to other worlds what he's done to The Grid. You have to stop him...please."

Rinzler slammed his disc down violently.

Right next to Ark's head.

A familiar, and welcome voice replied, "We'll stop him together," before jumping up and flipping around to rush at Clu.

Ark grinned and struggled to her feet, taking just a moment to catch her breath and grab her disc.

She was just a few feet behind Tron as he clashed first with Clu, who used the Keyblade to block his attack.

Ark closed in next, but her disc only grazed Clu as he easily dodged her attack while fending off Tron with the Keyblade.

She stumbled forward, taken off balance by her miss. Fortunately, Tron kept Clu occupied, so that he wasn't able to take advantage of her momentary weakness.

Once Ark was steady on her feet, Tron flipped backwards to disengage from hand-to-hand combat. He gave Ark a quick nod, and they both threw their discs at Clu, two on the right from Tron, one the left from Ark.

Clu whirled in a circle, using the Keyblade to block every single disc.

With that having failed, once their discs were back in hand, Tron and Ark charged at Clu.

Seemingly ignoring Ark, Clu ran at Tron, using the Keyblade's extra reach to smash his helmet, catching him in mid-dodge.

Tron slid across the ground, deactivating his helmet and throwing the shattered remains across the bridge. Jumping to his feet, he ran back to join in the fight.

Ark had caught up to Clu, who had used his momentum to turn and deflect her disc with the Keyblade again.

Tron jumped up and threw both of his discs at Clu's head. With them being so close together, he couldn't dodge them both. 

Clu avoided one of Tron's discs, while the other grazed his cheek with no effect.

That should've done some damage, made some kind of visible injury, but they couldn't even tell that they had scored even the most minor of hits.

"Fall back!" Tron yelled at Ark to disengage, and they both jumped backwards, Tron with a little more flair.

"What do we do?" whispered Ark. She was much more experienced than the last time she had been in the computer, but she had never fought an opponent that couldn't be injured.

Tron looked Clu over, "We've got to get that Keyblade away from him." He didn't know what they'd do from there, but it'd be a start.

Clu smirked at them as they tried to plan, standing casually and slinging the Keyblade onto one shoulder. This had been more fun than he had imagined, the Keyblade had added to his already considerable powers.

Let them plan, let them try to outwit him. He was confident that he could stop whatever they tried to do, even without the Keyblade.

Ark led the way, running in first. She charged at Clu, disc first, aiming at his left side.

Clu caught her disc on the Keyblade, taunting her as he did so, "Do you regret giving your Keyblade away yet?"

Ark gritted her teeth, almost falling for the taunt and pressing closer, but, instead, she jumped backwards, putting her faith in Tron.

Tron took the opening, leaping up over Ark. Instead of throwing his discs like he usually did, he slammed both of them down on Clu's right wrist with all of the force he could manage.

Like before, he didn't do any damage to Clu, but that wasn't what he was trying to do. The sheer energy of being struck with two discs caused Clu to drop the Keyblade, sending it sliding across the bridge.

"Ark!" Tron yelled as he watched the Keyblade skid further from them.

She followed Tron's cue, running towards the fallen weapon.

Clu shoved Tron aside, taking up the chase for the Keyblade. Tron ran after him, throwing his discs in a desperate effort to slow him down just enough for Ark to reach the Keyblade before he did.

Tron had created just enough opening for Ark to pick up the Keyblade first, though Clu was right behind her.

She didn't have time to think about the fact that the Keyblade's lights faded from yellow to white, as Clu bore down on her, his disc in hand.

"You don't have the strength to draw out its true power, I'm going to enjoy taking it off of your remains."

Ark tightened her grip on it, steadying herself and waiting for the right time to attack.

Tron rushed in, aiming to slam both of his discs in Clu's side. However, Clu easily dodged it, smirking as he did so.

However, they had expected something like this.

"Now!" Tron gave Ark the signal, and she rushed in, plunging the Keyblade into Clu's chest. She slowly started to turn it counterclockwise, while Clu was doing his best to stop the Keyblade from moving.

Tron darted up, joining his hands with Ark's to help her turn the Keyblade.

Working together, the Keyblade turned until it locked in a horizontal position.

As soon as it clicked into place, Clu's circuit lights dimmed, their glow diminished greatly.

Ark and Tron removed the Keyblade from Clu's chest, revealing yellow glowing cubes around the wound.

Clu stepped backward, looking at his hands in horror, "What did you do? What did you do to me?!"

Tron grinned, "We revoked your administration clearance. Now you're a regular Program, just like me."

"I will not be defeated!" Clu rushed at Tron in anger, even though his admin powers were locked away, he still had plenty of strength left.

Tron dodged his attack, flipping out of the way. This gave Ark an opening to strike Clu with her Keyblade, knocking him to the ground.

She looked to Tron, giving him a nod. He returned her nod and approached Clu, "We're going to make sure that no one ever takes over this system again." Tron then plunged both of his discs into Clu's wound, immediately shattering him into an innumerable amount of glowing yellow cubes.

It took a moment for Ark to realize that they had won, she sunk to her knees in exhaustion, Keyblade still in hand.

She looked up at Tron, who was putting his discs together and placing them on his back.

Ark was relieved to see that his circuits were no longer red, but were now bright white. Hopefully, that meant that he wouldn't switch back to being Rinzler, that he was himself, now and forever.

She finally got a good look at his face after all this time. Like his outfit, he had changed slightly as well, but she'd recognize him anywhere, no matter what. Before, his skin tone had been gray, but now, it looked more natural, if she didn't know better, she'd mistake him for a human.

Tron caught her eye and walked over to her. It looked like he was going to say something, but then he spotted the Keyblade still in her hand. He gestured to it, "Looks like you've been given a second chance."

Through her exhaustion, Ark finally realized that she had successfully wielded her Keyblade and its powers, even after having given it up. It was still with her now, the familiar and comforting weight and presence exactly where it should be.

She looked up to the sky, closed her eyes and took a deep breath, taking in the moment. It was almost like receiving her Keyblade for the first time.

Tron quietly watched her take her moment of reflection, once she was done, he offered a hand to help her up.

Ark dispelled her Keyblade and took Tron's hand, stumbling to her feet. Exhausted, her head sagged a little and Tron rested his forehead against hers as they both took a moment to recover. Once Ark caught her breath, she pulled him into a warm hug, pressing her face into his shoulder.

Tron gladly returned the hug. They held each other close, enjoying being back together once more. They didn't need words to express their joy.

Ark was the one to break the silence, "I've missed you so much."

"I missed you, too."

They slowly stepped apart, staying close together.

Overwhelmed by emotion, Ark spoke again. Now that they had saved The Grid, there was still the matter of how it had gotten in danger in the first place.

Ark had given up her Keyblade to save Tron, it wasn't the right decision, but that was the decision she had made, nonetheless. In some ways, she felt guilty for her regrets in saving Tron, but, she knew she had done the wrong thing.

"I'm so sorry. For everything. I..." She struggled to continue the sentence, she needed to talk about what she had done, but it was difficult.

Tron brought her into another warm hug, and she immediately accepted it, taking comfort in her friend's presence.

He replied to her unsaid words, "That doesn't matter. What matters is that you went back and fixed it."

Ark returned the hug tightly, "Thank you." She had been so afraid of what he'd think of her after the terrible decision that she had made. But, he had so easily reassured her. He was still her friend, even after everything.

They lingered over the hug again, before stepping apart once more.

Tron gently put a hand on her shoulder, "Come on, we've got a lot of catching up to do."

Ark smiled, "Yeah, I can't wait to tell you about everything!"

"I'm looking forward to hearing it."

They talked as they walked back through the Grid, Ark told him about the adventures she had been on other worlds, while he talked about everything that had happened leading up to and after Space Paranoids had been upgraded to The Grid.

As they neared the end of their tales, they started encountering Programs wandering around The Grid.

Once Clu had been defeated, all of the Programs that he had reprogrammed had just stopped in place. Without him to command them, they had been as mindless as Rinzler was.

It didn't take long for the remaining free Programs to figure out that they were finally safe.

There were many happy reunions as Tron and Ark met up with the other Programs. For the first time in a long time, they had hope.

They and the others worked on figuring out who all was still there, and who had been reprogrammed.

Once they had figured things out, it was time to get to work setting things right. But, there was something Ark still needed to do first.

"Before we get everything fixed up, I need to ask you something."

Tron tilted his head, "Sure, what do you need?"

Ark took a small breath before asking her question, "All of the Keyblade wielders are supposed to have a partner from one of the other worlds. I know that you were the system administrator, but since Clu took over your job, I'm not sure if you still are." She stopped and briefly shook her head, realizing that she was rambling. "Anyway, what I'm trying to ask is will you be my partner?"

Tron's surprised by this and takes a moment to think about her offer, "I'd love to, but, like you said, I'm not sure what's going on with the system administrator. Let me see what I can do."

That was a better answer than Ark had thought she'd get and she smiles, "Sounds good to me, thanks."

There were a lot of tasks that the system administrator took care of, but, there also were a lot of Programs in the system. Thinking carefully about things, Tron asked Programs one by one if they'd take over certain tasks. He tried to match tasks up with skill sets and the functions that the Programs already had. At first, some of them were a little hesitant about the new responsibilities, but once they learned it was so that Tron could help Ark out, they gladly agreed to take on the new roles.

Once everything was settled, Ark contacted the people outside of The Grid. It took a little time, but finally, someone came into the computer room, and she explained the situation.

They rushed to get the castle's computer expert and Ark explained everything again.

It took a while, but with the advice and information from Tron and the other Programs, they used a backup in order to restore the system. They reinstalled Programs and fixed the system architecture, making sure to avoid installing Clu as system administrator again. Ark helped where she could, being on the inside, she could see things differently and relay information.

Once the main systems were back in place, Tron walked the computer expert through assigning specific system administrator tasks to the Programs that had agreed to take them on.

Tron hadn't been sure if assigning the tasks one by one would work, but when it did and everyone was settled in, he turned to Ark. "Looks like we got all the duties sorted out. Now that we've got that done, we can be partners." He held out his hand and Ark took it in hers. Their handshake caused a small burst of light to quickly appear, making their partnership official.

Ark beamed, glad that she'd continue her journey with her closest friend, and Tron returned her bright smile.


	5. Chapter 5

Before Ark and Tron could discuss leaving The Grid, Merlin rushed into the computer room and asked to talk to Ark.

He told her that there was another digital world he had sent a Keyblade wielder to and that they had just sent a distress signal out. With the help of the computer expert, they'd be able to open up a link to the other world for Ark to go through and help out.

Ark quickly agreed and told Merlin that Tron was her partner, so they'd go and help together.

Merlin was glad that she wouldn't be tackling things alone and opened up the link to a world called the Internet.

Upon arriving in the Internet, it didn't take Ark and Tron long to find the problem. There were masses of large, red, humanoid Heartless wandering the city streets.

Avoiding the Heartless for now, Ark used her Gummi Phone to track where the distress signal was coming from.

They found a Keyblade wielder hiding in an alley, holding his partners, who were a fox and a hound. His name was Keegan, and he told Ark and Tron that he had had problems figuring out who needed help in this world. There was a guy, who looked an awful lot like all the Heartless wandering around, that seemed to be at the center of things, but he didn't realize what was happening until it was far too late. Apparently, some kind of virus had merged with the Heartless and things had rapidly spiraled out of control.

Tron took the lead on this mission, as a security Program, he had experience in fighting viruses.

They worked together to isolate and fight a virus, trying to learn its strengths and weaknesses. However, there were so many of them, that even though they learned the best way to take them down, it would be difficult to take on the hoard.

But, they didn't have any better ideas, so Ark, Tron, and Keegan would get a few away from the mass, fight them, and, once they were gone, start over again.

This wasn't getting them anywhere, and it almost seemed like the Heartless were still multiplying. However, when Keegan heard one of them muttering, "Friend?" he had an idea.

Asking his hound partner to track the original, he took off, leaving Ark and Tron to fight the Heartless while he tried to get to the source.

It took some time, but Keegan and his partners finally caught up with the guy who looked like the Heartless. He had previously heard something about his troubles with friendship, but hadn't figured it out until now.

He got his partners to talk to the guy, they had had a similar problem. Even though they were best friends, their paths in life had turned out differently. They weren't able to really spend time with each other nowadays, but they still managed visits every now and then. And, now, they were having an adventure and seeing all sorts of new places together.

They explained that friendship took all sorts of different forms and changed and grew with the people that created them. Friendships didn't always stay the same, but the feelings did.

It took a while for it to sink in, but finally the guy realized what he needed to do. He took off towards the mass of Heartless to confront his fears.

Keegan and his partners joined up back with Ark and Tron to try and help keep the damage to a minimum, while the guy admitted that he had been a bad friend to the Heartless and his best friend.

The virus Heartless were connected to his feelings, so by him confronting his fears, that greatly weakened them enough for Ark, Tron, and Keegan's group to finish them off for good.

With everything getting back to normal, they were able to meet some of the people that lived in this world. When Ark and Tron expressed curiosity about one of the games on the Internet, one of them invited them to go street racing with her in it sometime. 

They promised to take her up on the offer once they finished dealing with the Heartless.

The group traveled from the Internet and back to The Grid. Keegan and his partners went out first. Ark and Tron hesitated for a moment, they weren't sure if Tron would be able to travel outside of the computer.

Ark went next, upon arriving at Radiant Garden, she held her breath until Tron appeared.

Excited that it had actually worked, she threw her arms around him in an enthusiastic hug, and he chuckled as he returned it.

Keegan and Ark got assignments on different worlds, so they headed off to their new missions.

Ark and Tron ended up in an aquatic world where they were transformed into sea otters. Tron hadn't had time to get used to being in the world outside of the computer in his regular form, so it took a while for him to get the hang of being an otter.

It was slightly easier for Ark, as she had been transformed into a lightning bug on a previous world, so she was a little more used to being something different.

Together, they tried to help a clownfish find his missing son, with the help of a blue tang. However, they kept getting separated from the fish when they had to fight Heartless in the forms of anglerfish, jellyfish, and a giant sea serpent attacking the boat that had captured some of the fish they were trying to help.

Some of the Heartless had star patterns on them, once they were back in the Gummi Ship and in their regular forms, Ark sent the pictures to Merlin.

The other Keyblade wielders had shared their pictures of Heartless, and with the last few from Ark, Merlin was able to pinpoint the location the star maps seemed to indicate.

He sent the coordinates to all of the Keyblade wielders, but, Ark and Tron were the closest and the only ones who had just finished their mission, so they headed for the location first.

On the way there, they were intercepted by a team of four Space Rangers. Pooling their resources, the Space Rangers were able to figure out that the indicated location was likely a planet one of their greatest enemies controlled.

Being always prepared, the Space Rangers outfitted Ark and Tron with extra Space Ranger suits that they had in case of emergencies.

Once on the planet, they fought swarms of Heartless, lead by two of the enemies of the Space Rangers.

The battles were tough and fierce, the Space Rangers teaming up with Ark and Tron to take down groups of them at a time. The hardest fights were against the two leaders of the Heartless, the enemies of the Space Rangers had been infected and corrupted, turning into Heartless versions of themselves.

Finally, the planet was clear and the group discovered that the scientists on the planet had somehow discovered or activated a portal that lead to some kind of Heartless world.

A few Heartless wandered through the portal and the group easily took them down while they waited for the rest of the Keyblade wielders to show up.

One by one, the other Keyblade wielders arrived, and their partners were varied. There was Sierra and her two bears, Brody and his alligator, and Keegan and his fox and hound. Then, there were the wielders that Ark hadn't met: one was partnered with a bouncy plush tiger, one was with a large grey rabbit, one was teamed with a woman who wore a dress that looked like ice, there was a Keyblade wielder who stood with a dapper skeleton, one who had a tall fox wearing green and carrying a bow, there was a team that had a young girl in a blue and white dress, another that had an older lioness, and finally, there was a Keyblade wielder partnered with an iguanodon.

Everyone had their own abilities and experiences, even though some of the team members were strange or didn't look like much, they all could hold their own.

One by one, the groups headed through the portal. Ark and Tron were first, Tron wanted to make sure that the way was safe for the rest.

There was a small group of Heartless that were easily dispatched, but as more Keyblade wielders came, the more Heartless that showed up.

When everyone was all together, they headed through the Heartless world, fighting their way to the planet's core.

The closer to the core they got, the stronger the Heartless became, until, finally, they were faced with twelve different Heartless, the same number as Keyblade wielders.

Each team took on one of the elite Heartless, the battles were vicious and difficult, and several times, it looked as if the Keyblade teams were in trouble.

Finally, they all were victorious, but their work wasn't done yet.

The last line of defense was all-encompassing illusions that either promised or threatened, depending on what each person would respond best to.

Tron broke out of his illusion first. He had been threatened with being turned back into Rinzler and forced to kill Ark and the rest of the Keyblade teams. However, Tron had the most faith in his partner, she had restored him once, if he was corrupted, she'd save him again.

Ark was one of the middle ones to break out of her illusion. She was promised safety for her and Tron, just walk away and they'd be spared. They could live in peace, safe from the Heartless, as long as they never fought them again. It was a tempting offer, but this time, she chose the right path. She rejected the promise, saying that she would continue to fight the Heartless until her very last breath.

Once everyone was free from their illusion, they found themselves in front of the heart of the world.

It once had been a sentient being who had created this planet and the life on it, but, when a meteor storm struck and its people were consumed with fear, the Heartless had taken over and corrupted the entire world.

All twelve Keyblade wielders raised their Keyblades and, working together, locked the heart of the world away from the Heartless.

This purified the heart of the world, who quickly thanked them, then begged them to leave, as it wasn't sure how long it could hold the portal open.

Fleeing, the groups ran back to the portal and darted through.

They were greeted by the Space Rangers, who had been guarding the portal.

Shortly after everyone was back safely, the portal collapsed, closing for good.

The Space Ranger team escorted everyone back out of Star Command space and everyone headed to Radiant Garden.

There they were greeted by Merlin and Yen Sid, who had arranged a giant party for everyone.

Everyone celebrated until long into the night, this would be the last time everyone was together, for in the morning, all of the partners had to go back to their worlds.

Most everyone slept in late, with groups here and there slipping out to say their goodbyes and take their partners back to their homes.

Finally, it was just Ark and Tron who were left.

Tron had to go back to The Grid, but Ark was free to go wherever she wanted.

It didn't take long for her to decide to go back to The Grid with Tron.

She didn't always stay there, though, and neither did Tron.

From time to time, they'd visit their friends on the other worlds, sometimes together and sometimes separately. Together, they joined in the exciting street races of Slaughter Race and explored the other games of the Internet. They frolicked as otters, hung out as bugs, and went to other worlds with strange transformations. Ark even had sleepovers with a friend she had made in New Orleans.

Not all of Ark's adventures took her to other worlds, though, sometimes she'd head back out into Radiant Garden and hang out with her friends and catch up with Merlin. 

But, one of her favorite things to do was to go visit Scrooge, she had been hearing of his adventures for so long, now she finally had some adventures of her own to share with him.


End file.
